No-Beans 7 Layer Dip – AIP, Paleo, Dairy-Free
If you’ve got yourself a potluck or party to go to, but still need to keep it AIP and allergy-friendly, this No-Beans 7 Layer Dip is the perfect jam for you.
Lovely layers
Layers of faux-beans (yep, no beans!), sour cream that is free of coconut, guacamole, nightshade-free taco sauce, shredded zucchini cheese, lettuce and olives.
This party dip makes a gorgeous presentation for serving with pork rinds, plantain chips, vegetable crudité or sweet potato chips.
Need this dip to be coconut-free?
Since this dip is a collection of a few different recipes that are later layered together, I recommend starting by first making the Homemade Tigernut Milk 24 to 48 hours in advance, that way you have it on hand and are all ready to make the sour cream.
If you tolerate coconut, you can skip making the milk, and use coconut milk in a pinch instead.
I prefer the tigernut milk flavor though, as it is not over-powering as coconut can tend to do with recipes where you really don’t want to have a coco-nutty essence in.
Break this No-Beans 7 Layer Dip down into steps to make it easier
Though there are a lot of steps, they are all fairly simple to execute.
The only special equipment that is really required is a nut milk bag (for the tigernut milk) and a good blender. I recommend getting one of these triple-sided graters so you can have big, fat shreds of “cheese”, though, as since it’s a soft texture it’s a little easier to grate through larger holes.
I also always recommend an immersion blender to those who haven’t ever used one, as it REALLY saves a bunch of mess and blender-scrubbing, because all you have to clean in the end is a smaller container and the blade attachment. Winning.
And it’s perfect for making the taco sauce since it’s such a small batch. (Also check out this easy AIP Microwave Salsa if you prefer a bit more texture.)
My make-it easy method:
I made the milk 48 hours in advance.
Then made the sour cream, kabocha beans, and zucchini cheese (using the Cheese Sauce from my Cheesy Taters & Bacon recipe) 24 hours in advance so they had time to set without me stressing about “Is this gonna be ready in time?”
Then on the day of assembly I made the guacamole and taco sauce, shredded the cheese and sliced the lettuce and olives.
Bada-bing-bada-boom! Small steps to awesome-looking, delicious, 7 layer party dip bliss.
So, yeah…just plan ahead a little, and this comes together without much sweat at all. A 7 layer dip like this one, where every ingredient is made from scratch is not something I would make every week, but definitely a crowd pleaser that is worth the extra effort for special events and get togethers.
Dip, dip, dip away and savor those 7 layers of flavor! It’s time to crunch and munch, yo.
No-Beans 7 Layer Dip
Ingredients
TIGERNUT SOUR CREAM
- 1/4 cup Homemade Tigernut Milk *recipe in NOTES* If you can tolerate coconut, and for keto: sub coconut milk or cream
- 2 cups summer squash peeled and diced
- 1.5 tsp gelatin
- 1 to 2 Tb apple cider vinegar depending on how sour you like it. I was happiest with 1.5 Tb
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt
ZUCCHINI CHEESE SHREDS
- Use the CHEESE SAUCE ingredients from my Cheesy Taters and Bacon recipe *link to recipe in NOTES*
KABOCHA BEANS
- 1 medium kabocha squash
- 2 Tb bacon grease
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt
- 1 pinch onion powder
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 pinch ginger powder
- 2 tsp cassava flour
NO-NIGHTSHADE TACO SAUCE
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup cooked beets chopped
- 1 tsp honey omit for keto
- 2 Tb bone broth or water to thin
- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 medium lime juiced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin For AIP: omit
GUACAMOLE
- 2 medium avocados
- 1/2 medium lime juiced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
TOPPINGS:
- 1.5 cups shredded lettuce
- 1/3 cup sliced black olives
Instructions
FOR THE TIGERNUT SOUR CREAM:
- A day ahead: First make the Homemade Tigernut milk *link to recipe in NOTES*, as it needs to soak for 24 hours. Once you have the milk ready and made up, continue to the next steps.
- Steam or microwave the cubed squash until tender. Add to a high-speed blender while still hot, then sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top.
- Heat the tigernut milk (or coconut milk if substituting) until steaming, the pour it over the gelatin.
- Add in the vinegar and salt, then blend on medium for 1 minute or until very smooth.
- Pour into a storage container and allow to cool for 30 minutes at room temp, then refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or until thickened and set.
FOR THE ZUCCHINI CHEESE SHREDS:
- Make the CHEESE SAUCE from my Cheesy Taters & Bacon recipe *link to recipe in NOTES*
- Pour the sauce from the blender into a storage container, and chill in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours or until completely set and firm.
- Cut the set cheese into 4 sections, then use a large-holed grater to gently grate 1 or 2 sections into shreds. (You can save 3/4 to 1/2 of the sections for other recipes or for snacking on throughout the week, as you will have a good amount of “cheese” leftover. Yay! Extra cheese, please.)
FOR THE KABOCHA BEANS:
- Use a sharp steak knife to create several 1″ deep pricks into the squash through the skin.
- Steam kabocha whole in a large Dutch oven pot for 40 minutes or until tender.
- Allowed to cool for at least one hour for safe handling
- Add the bacon grease to a medium cast-iron skillet, and heat over medium heat for at least five minutes.
- Meanwhile, use a large tablespoon or soup spoon to gently scrape the flesh from the skin into a small bowl. The skin will be very soft now as well, so this can be slightly tedious while you try to separate the two from eachother (just a heads up!) but it’s so worth it. Discard the skin.
- Add the kabocha into the hot grease and use a slotted spoon to gently mash it to where most lumps are gone. Stir for about 1 minute.
- Stir in the seasonings, then sprinkle over the cassava and stir in.
- Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pan a bit.
- Cool at room temperature completely, then refrigerate if necessary before you need to use it in the recipe.
FOR THE NO-NIGHTSHADE TACO SAUCE:
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender (or to a 3-cup, wide-mouth mason jar and use an immersion blender) and blend until very smooth.
FOR THE GUACAMOLE:
- Make this last-minute to prevent browning.
- Add all ingredients to a small-medium mixing bowl, and use a fork to mash and mix together to desired consitency.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
- In a glass meatloaf container (or other pretty, clear glass container), spread the KABOCHA BEANS on the bottom.
- Whisk the SOUR CREAM until it’s fluffed up a bit, then spread on top of the kabocha beans.
- Spread the GUACAMOLE over the sour cream, then spread the TACO SAUCE over the guacamole.
- Sprinkle the ZUCCHINI CHEESE SHREDS over the taco sauce, then sprinkle the lettuce and olives over the top.
- Serve immediately, or cover and chill for at least 1 hour for a colder dip.
- Serve with plantain chips, sweet potato or yuca chips, or tostones. To keep it low-carb, serve with pork rinds or vegetable dippers.
